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Operation Mongoose, Part 1
Operation Mongoose, Part 1 Episode Number: Season 4, Episode 22 Directed By: Ralph Hemecker Air Date: May 10, 2015 Previous Episode: Mother Next Episode Operation Mongoose, Part 2 "Operation Mongoose, Part 1" is part 1 of the 2 part story comprising the twenty-second and twenty-third episodes of Season 4 of the American fairytale/drama series Once Upon a Time, both of which aired on May 10, 2015. Both episodes served together as the fourth season finale. In this episode, Isaac becomes a wild card in Gold's scheme to change everyone's destiny as Emma Swan, Regina Mills, Mary Margaret, Captain Hook and David Nolan attempt to stop them. When Gold and Isaac forge ahead with their plans, they alter the destiny of everyone involved. Now it's up to Henry to reverse the outcome after he is drawn into the chaos and restore the destiny of his family before it is too late. Plot 'Opening Sequence' The tower where Emma Swan is held is featured in the forest 'In the Character's Past' In our world, 1966, Isaac Heller (the Author) is working at a television shop as a struggling writer trying to sell color TV's, until he gets a letter from Star Publishing saying that he is wanted for hire. He arrives to find a mostly empty room, with The Apprentice at the desk, who then lays out a selection of different writing materials and demands that Isaac choose one as a test. Isaac picks the magic quill, which seems to approve of him in return. The Apprentice creates a magic door to another realm, and both he and The Author go through it. 'Storybrooke' Emma, Hook, Henry, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, and Robin are in the library of the mansion, searching for a way to stop Gold and Isaac from enacting a new reality with the newly activated ink. They are joined by August, who shows them a drawing of the Sorcerer's Apprentice, who might be able to help them. Hook remembers The Apprentice from when he and Gold trapped him in the sorcerer's hat. With the help of The Blue Fairy, they release The Apprentice, who immediately says that there’s no time to waste. He tells them that they must find the storybook page depicting the door, as well as the door's key, for only then will they be able to lock Isaac back into the book where he belongs. The group splits up, with Henry, Hook, David and Mary Margaret heading back to the loft for the book and key, while Emma, Regina and The Apprentice head to Gold's pawnshop. At the shop, Gold is clinging to life as Isaac finishes up writing the new book, titled Heroes & Villains . He plans on a new universe in the Enchanted Forest for the inhabitants of Storybrooke, while he writes a new ending for himself in the Land Without Magic. When he writes the final words, "The End," magic appears out of the book and begins to distort space and time. 'In the Alternate Reality' Henry awakens with the key in his hand at the loft, but runs downstairs to find that Hook, David and Mary Margaret have disappeared, along with the rest of the people of Storybrooke. He then drives himself to a restaurant in search of help, but notices a best-selling book on a shelf: a paperback version of Heroes & Villains by Isaac Heller. Henry is able to locate Isaac at a book signing event, who is surprised to see him. Henry demands answers and Isaac reveals that his family is alive, but now exists in a different universe inside of his Heroes & Villains story, presenting Henry with the original storybook. Henry wasn't trapped along with the others because he wasn't born in a magical realm and he is also told that Emma wasn't either, as Isaac did not write a "savior" into the story. Isaac explains that he is also unable to alter events anymore, since he is no longer The Author after violating the Author's Code, which he did by writing himself a happy ending. After Isaac refuses to undo the events, Henry takes the key and uses it on a page of the book, transporting himself and Isaac into the altered Enchanted Forest. Henry and Isaac find themselves trapped in the setting of the final chapter of Heroes & Villains. After Henry finds out that a happy ending for a hero in this universe will return things to the reality that he knows, Isaac knocks him out and binds him to a cart, and leaves him to be killed by an ogre. However, Henry is rescued by the "Ogre Slayer" Rumplestiltskin, who is now a heroic knight. Using a copy of Isaac's book as a guideline, Henry seeks out Regina, who is living life as a bandit "Snow White" in this reality. He tries to convince her that he is her son, but Regina does not believe him, since she does not have her memories of her time as The Evil Queen, and throws the book into a fire. Convinced that a true love's kiss between Regina and Robin could solve the problem, he suggests that she seek him out, although Regina already knows him as a fellow thief and rival. Isaac, having escaped the ogres, searches for Henry, hoping that he is dead. He ends up falling into a trap and is found by the evil dwarves, led by Grumpy, who take him to Snow White, who is now The Evil Queen. Snow holds the heart that belongs to Prince Charming and uses it to command him with orders to behead Isaac, but Isaac schemes his way out of it by convincing them that he knows some of their secrets, since he wrote them in the first place. Isaac tells Snow that she can get her happy ending again (which was love with Prince James in this timeline), if she agrees to kill Henry along with Regina. Ignoring Henry's advice, Regina proceeds to rob the royal carriage, but when she opens the door, she is confronted by Snow. Regina is asked about Henry's whereabouts, but after she offers no intel, Snow prepares to kill Regina with a fireball, until Robin Hood shows up and rescues her at the last second on horseback. He takes her back to his pub and tends to her wounds. The two drink to becoming new friends and declare their mutual respect for one another as outlaws in the forest, with Robin offering her leadership of his Merry Men. Regina starts to fall for him, but he then admits that he's leaving the thieving business in honor of his bride-to-be, who turns out to be Zelena. As she leaves the bar, she runs into Henry and informs him about the impending nuptials, which he realizes will mark the permanence of the alternate universe when the church bells ring. She then suggests that he try finding his other mother, if he truly believes that the Heroes & Villains tale is real. When Henry mentions that his other mother was known as "the Savior," Regina tells him of the legend of the Savior trapped in a tower in the middle of the ocean by The Evil Queen. Cast Starring *Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard *Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan *Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills *Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan/Prince James *Emilie de Ravin as Belle *Colin O'Donoghue as Hook *Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills *Michael Socha as Will Scarlet *Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold Guest Starring *Rebecca Mader as The Wicked Witch/Zelena *Sean Maguire as Robin Hood *Eion Bailey as Pinocchio/August Booth *Patrick Fischler as The Author/Isaac Heller *Lee Arenberg as Grumpy/Leroy *Keegan Connor Tracy as The Blue Fairy/Mother Superior *Timothy Webber as The Apprentice *Faustino di Bauda as Sleepy/Walter *Gabe Khouth as Sneezy/Tom Clark *Michael Coleman as Happy *David Paul Grove as Doc *Mig Macario as Bashful *Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey Trivia Production Notes= *The title card features Emma's tower. *The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on March 13, 2015. *Benjamin Wilkinson, who plays Isaac's boss, also plays the White Knight in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episodes "Dirty Little Secrets" and "And They Lived...". *Sarah Ann Hayward, who plays the Villager, also plays the Villager in the episode "The Broken Kingdom", and Townsperson #1 in the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland episode "Trust Me". *According to the sign, the restaurant that Henry visits is called the Clarette's Family Restaurant, and is located in Connecticut. *Isaac's book signing takes place in New York City, which can be seen from the NYPD police car which passes in front of the building. *Jiminy Cricket was originally going to appear in the episode, but had to be written out due to the budget and time constraints. In the episode script, he lands on Snow White's shoulder during Isaac's interrogation, and advises her not to kill Isaac immediately, but torture him for information first. Snow White remarks that this is why she always listens to her conscience. *At the end of the episode, right after Regina says to Henry the word "The Savior", an awkward and a smooth voice whispers back "The Savior", likely Emma's voice. |-|Other Notes= FILMING LOCATIONS *The scene where Isaac is recruited by The Apprentice was filmed in the Dancey Ballroom & Dance Studio in downtown Vancouver. *Isaac's speech and book signing was filmed inside the Orpheum theater in Vancouver.